Discharge Monday??

[klmno]

difficult child told me at visitation today that psychiatrist is going to discharge him Monday. I wouldn't put a lot of steak into that except that's exactly how this happened in Dec. I asked him- "don't psychiatrist and sw ever talk?" difficult child said "No". I think I'll leave a voice mail for sw that discharge plan(s) we discussed need to be in place first. I don't know what I'll do if she can't get them in place- I can also ask her to give me recommendations in writing and file them with my chins petition, I guess. I'm worried though that the courts won't even accept a chins petition if not put in by PO. I can't "not pick up" difficult child if he's discharged- insurance won't pay for him to stay in psychiatric hospital if psychiatrist is ready to discharge him. I'm worried too that this is starting to look like PO might not recommend difficult child to get any further help and one sw told me that if po recommends difficult child be turned over to state that that's what will happen. PO told me last week that the county would not pay for him to get more treatment. Never mind that the county has noot paid for ANY of his treatment, no dr's appts, medications, insurance, anything. Apparently, around here a chins for services just means the judge orders the kid and parent to get the services, not that the county will pay for them.

On another note- there was a teen up there that difficult child says is in for "anger issues" and that had to be restrained and physically taken back to the ward one day after his family checked him out for a visitation. You can do that, but you have to stay on the grounds and it has to be kept within the stated visitation hours. Apparently the kid had gone ballistic and refused to go back to the ward. Anyway, difficult child says they are all on nicotine patches to quit smoking. Well, today I checked difficult child off the ward to take him to the hospital McD's to eat and the dad gave this kid his cell phone and a pack of cigs (both against the rules) and the kid went outside and smoked while on the phone and the dad sat in McD's and read his newspaper. difficult child said the teen had told him that he was going to call a friend and ask him to bring a joint to him.

Am I the only person that wonders why that dad is bothering to keep his kid in the psychiatric hospital? I wouldn't be willing to pay the deductible if I wasn't willing to maake the kid follow the rules and comply with the program. When we passed each other going back to the ward, the teen just had a big smirk on his face. I checked difficult child's pockets in the elevator to make sure the kid hadn't passed a cig to difficult child. It just looks to me that the kid is used to getting whatever he wants from his dad and then gets mad if his dad ever says "no". I don't see how putting him in psychiatric hospital and continuing to give him whatever he wants is going to change that.

 

[Andy]

I wish that psychiatric hospital staff would make a point of telling parents/guardians of discharge plans before mentioning them to the child.

I work at a chemical dependency treatment in-patient facility. It amazes me how parents, siblings, and friends go out of their way to help our patients break the rules. Contraband is a HUGE issue. It also amazes me how adults who smoke in bathrooms really believe they are hiding the fact they just smoked - reminds me of high school students. HELLO! - staff have noses - staff can smell. When I walk onto a unit, I can tell right away if someone has been smoking. We have a non-smoking on grounds policy. Staff are not even suppose to smoke.

The psychiatric hospital my difficult child was in would not allow a pass unless staff felt that the child could handle the pass with proper behavior. difficult child had to state a few things that he would work on during the pass (like, listen to mom, tell mom if anxiety rise, ect.) - kind of like a contract of behavior. I would then "grade" him on those issues to let the staff know how he did. So, passes were also part of the treatment plan.

That dad is harming his son's recovery. This would be the ideal time for the parents to stop enabling. What better support than psychiatric hospital staff to let the child learn to not control his parents. If the parents are afraid of their child (my guess), they will be safe in the psychiatric hospital setting.

 

[klmno]

You know Andy, I thought maybe the Dad was just afraid of his kid at first, but then, why would he sign him off the ward? If I was worried about how my difficult child would do, I wouldn't take him off the ward and if he had a meltdown or rage over it, it would be right there with the staff on hand.

As far as us, we had a meeting with SW yesterday to discuss the "plan" for care after discharge. These things needed to be researched by the sw. She hasn't had time to get answers on the two options we discussed- one being Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Yet, psychiatrist already told difficult child yesterday that he would be discharged Monday if blood tests came back ok tomorrow.

Maybe psychiatrist plans on taking difficult child home with him??

 

[bran155]

How can they discharge him without a plan??? I like your idea, send him home with the doctor!!! Maybe difficult child misunderstood him? Wouldn't the sw be aware of his discharge? I hope that they can put their heads together and come up with a plan ASAP!!!

Good luck on Monday, let us know how it goes.

That dad sounds like a real winner. I agree with you, why on earth would he go through the trouble of hospitalizing this kid if he is just going to sabotage his treatment???

 

[klmno]

I'm sitting here writing my letter for judge and others that documents all the agencies I've tried to get help from and am researching a little more about the requirements for this county FAPT team. I just read something interesting-

If services are required that effect a kid at school, it is mandated that funds be provided to cover services. If the services are through Department of Juvenile Justice (the court) it is only mandated if the Department of Juvenile Justice has not expended the amount of funding allocated for them that year. Once Department of Juvenile Justice's funds are expended, providing services to a kid, even if deemed necessary by Department of Juvenile Justice, are not mandated. I wonder if Department of Juvenile Justice works on a calendar year or a fiscal year.

Anyway, it looks like maybe it's good that I went to the school system and got that underway- it least it's a chance for something. This might explain a little more why the sd has that in-house team first. My therapist said I could bet on the fact that all the hold up is due to these agencies not wanting funding coming out of their specific funds. I said "well, so much for the value of a person's life".

I think this documentation needs to be copied to whomever is in charge of makiing sure these various agencies meet their requirements for these funds and our state law regarding this act. The sd, the GAL, and the PO are looking pretty bad in this letter.

 

[klmno]

Bran, we had a similar plan being considered in Dec. Then, difficult child told me at the next visitation that psychiatrist was going to discharge him, and sure enough, the next day psychiatrist called and said difficult child was standing right next to him and that he was discharging him. I think it's because insurance will only cover 3-5 days except in extreme cases and clearly when the kid is still acute. They are supposed to have a discharge plan in place by then, but they discharge them anyway.

 

[smallworld]

Sorry there are mixed messages about difficult child's discharge. I hope the SW comes through with a plan for you. Let us know how it goes on Monday.

Hugs.

 

[susiestar]

I would be leaving messages for the psychiatrist about NOT discharging difficult child because you don't feel he is safe and that the sw needs time to get a plan in place. I once went very early to the psychiatric hospital and waited outside the staff entrance for the psychiatrist to come IN to the psychiatric hospital. I didn't want Wiz released and couldn't get the psychiatrist to return a call. I was brown-nosing his office receptionist and that is how I found out what entrance he used and what time he went in.

And they kept Wiz for another day.

You are really going to have to PUSH to get the psychiatrist to be accountable for what needs to happen. It won't be easy and may be close to impossible.

Hey, maybe we can get you some of those cool spy glasses with the computer built in so you can do the "Mission Impossible" and knock some common sense into the psychiatrist!

Sorry, it is late and my brain gets odd ideas.

I wish you luckc on this. And I hope you don't have to turn the car around and re-admit him for violent behavior. But if you do, you do.

 

[klmno]

Thanks, Susie! What worried me most was difficult child's progression in violence/aggression toward me. I think it started witth the increase in depakote, but this happened about a week after the dose was lowered back down and a day after it was stopped and tegretol was started, so I'm not sure how much was just him- not medication related. There's no room for it to get worse without causing me serious injury. Then, if the "manic" medications knock him to far the other way, I'm worried about him self-injuring.

He talked about another teen in there who's father just died in front of him and the boy is traumatized over it. I guess that boy is telling the others to appreciate their fathers even if they get mad at them. I'm not sure how difficult child is taking that- he talked about it quite a bit so I know it has left quite an impression, but difficult child has some serious issues about his father not being in his life- learning the details of it was actually his initial trigger 3 years ago. This kid's story might serve to make difficult child more disturbed about it- or, maybe he can start looking at it like I'm the parent who's here and that's raising him and apply the same point to his mother. I don't know.